Fighting for Justice Blog

The U.S. Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, 227 years ago. Since then, 27 amendments have been added to the Constitution, and today we have a document that serves not only to affirm that the government of the United States exists to serve its citizens but to also grant essential rights to individuals. One right that has ensured accountability and justice and has made our country safer is the right to a trial by jury in civil cases – the 7th Amendment.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has taken a troubling step backwards this month that could put all patient’s safety at risk. From now on, CMS will no longer publicly report eight conditions Americans can develop due to poor care called: “hospital acquired conditions” (HACs).

When New Jersey trial lawyer Chris Placitella saw what remained of the Union Beach neighborhood after Superstorm Sandy, he knew he wanted to help.

“It’s only a couple of miles from my office. Homes were completely gone – swept into the ocean. It felt right to help there,” says Placitella. Placitella called his friend Wade Martin. The two friends previously worked together after the attacks on September 11,...

AAJ members Jonathan Shub, Mark Chalos, and Mike Andrews will be participating in an hour-long live Twitter chat about product liability cases starting at noon EST. Be sure to follow the chat by searching the hashtag #Law360chat (http://ow.ly/zYjfk).

I joined the American Association for Justice right out of law school in 1980, and I never imagined that I would one day serve as an officer. I am deeply honored to lead AAJ this year as your president.

While Dallas is my current home, my roots lie in Atlanta, where I was born in 1952. It was a time of tremendous prejudice and a place where the Ku Klux Klan terrorized residents. When I was 12, my family’s synagogue was bombed. My father was one of the first doctors in Atlanta to integrate his practice, and as a result, many white patients left. Growing up, all around me I saw acts...

The latest issue of Trial magazine includes articles on design control evidence, brand-name liability for inadequate drug labels, medication errors, a new game plan in pharma cases, and a look back at the first mass tort drug case. Click here to read more.

ADAO President Linda Reinstein penned an op-ed in today in The Hill calling on Congress to take action and draft legislation on asbestos issues, which continue to have an overwhelmingly negative affect on Americans.

On Thursday, July 10, the U.S. Capitol Building was forced to temporarily quarantine the House side because of an “asbestos-related incident.” I can imagine the shock and fear of members of Congress, their staff, and building employees upon learning that this invisible killer had surrounded them in their workplace. Ironically, many of these same...

In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Congress created The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to address the obvious and overdue need for greater transparency and accountability from America’s powerful financial institutions.

Now, Wall Street and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are making every attempt to abolish the watchdog bureau so that big banks can continue pillaging from American consumers. What’s worse, the financial services industry has ensured that those cheated customers can’t ever fight them in court.